The present invention relates to plant growth regulating compositions containing (2-chloroethyl)trimethylammonium chloride and 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl) 3-quinoline carboxylic acid, as the active ingredients. Compositions containing these active ingredients enhance yields of such crops as wheat and barley.
Plant growth regulating methods utilizing (2-chloroethyl)-trimethylammonium chloride, as the active ingredient, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,554, Tolbert, issued Nov. 10, 1964. Furthermore, compositions containing chlorocholine and a choline salt, in ratios of 1:0.05 to 1:20, used in controlling stem growth in plants, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,009, Oettel, et al, issued July 30, 1963.
The use of the other active ingredient of the present invention, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-3-quinolinecarboxylic acids, as a plant-growth regulant, is disclosed in European Patent Application No. 41,624, Orwick et al. The types of plant growth regulating activities suggested in that application include increases in axillary branching, tillering, flowering and increases in yields of agronomic and horticultural crops.
However, the above-discussed references do not disclose or suggest combining both of the active ingredients of the present invention, and even more so, these references fail to disclose that the compositions of the present invention increase yields of such crops as wheat and barley. This enhancement of crop yield is above and beyond that observed when each compound alone is applied to such crops as wheat and/or barley. And therefore, the compositions of the present invention provide beneficial and unexpected crop yield results.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide plant growth regulating compositions which enhance crop yields.
It is a further object of this invention to increase crop yields in such crops as wheat and barley.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent by the following more detailed description of the invention.